Overview
- Northern Germany is experiencing its driest spring since records began in 1881, with rainfall since March nearly absent and soil moisture at critical lows.
- The top 25 centimeters of soil in Lower Saxony and Bremen are at the highest drought level, according to the UFZ Dürremonitor, causing significant agricultural stress.
- Farmers in the region anticipate yield losses, while heightened wildfire risks have placed fire departments on high alert.
- Short-term forecasts from the Deutscher Wetterdienst predict continued sunny and dry weather through midweek, with weekend showers unlikely to alleviate the drought.
- Long-range weather models remain divided, with NOAA's CFS forecasting a wetter June, while ECMWF anticipates a hot, dry summer, leaving the drought's trajectory uncertain.